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This study examined decision-making processes in response to athletic career change-events (e.g., injury, field position change). Athletes’ (N = 338) initial strategic decisions whether to address or ignore a change-event, and their subsequent decisions whether to make the required change were measured using the Change-Event Inventory (Samuel & Tenenbaum, 2011b). Athletes reported a high tendency of making a strategic decision to consult with others, which could be predicted from the event’s perceived significance and availability of professional support. Athletes also reported a high tendency of making a subsequent decision to change, which could be predicted from the helpfulness of support, motivation for change, and certain coping strategies. The two types of decisions were related. Perceived outcome of the change process and athletes’ motivation could also be accurately predicted. In conclusion, to effectively cope with change-events athletes need to feel involved, be in control, and make independent decisions that reflect their genuine needs and wishes.
Samuel and Tenenbaum are with the Dept. of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL.


Almost every event calls for a wonderfully crafted cake. Cakes are the ideal way to commemorate memorable occasions and occasions. This is because cakes come in various flavours, and you can get the perfect dessert for any individual or occasion. Many people believe that having a
cake delivery completes an event and makes it more memorable. Additionally, desserts are meant to be enjoyed after events, and cakes are one of the most excellent sweets. Their delectable flavour melts anyone and elevates any occasion to a favourite. Thus, this article discusses why cakes are the world’s best-selling and most popular gifts. Simple to select
When buying a gift for a loved one, you must consider various factors regarding their likes and hobbies. However, selecting a cake is simple because you only need to know their preferred
taste, and you can have it customised for the occasion. You can order it in the shape of a heart for Valentine’s Day or a photo cake for a birthday. Anyone can receive a cake as a present.
When giving the cake as a present, there isn’t any age restriction because all adore it. A four-year-old, or even a seventy-year-old, will enjoy a cake present. When you purchase a cake, you may rest assured that it will be enjoyed by everyone in the family, from children to grandparents. Cakes can appeal to anyone, and thus you are not required to consider the recipient’s gender or age while delivering a cake gift to a loved one. For instance, you could give a small child a double chocolate fudge cake while your grandparents receive fruit cake.
Accessible online
You don’t need to visit a bakery in person for cake delivery. Nowadays, numerous online gift sites offer a diverse selection of cakes for various occasions, allowing you to order the cake of your choice from the comfort of your own home. Additionally, you can send these delectable cakes to distant relatives to share your wishes on special occasions. These cakes will be brought directly to their door, allowing you to send your heartfelt greetings.
Possibilities for using your creativity
When you choose a gift with much thought, its sentimental value increases; if you believe you are sufficiently inventive, select a designer cake and personalise it with your original ideas. If the individual you purchased it for is aware of your creative abilities, they will undoubtedly appreciate your efforts. If this doesn’t happen, the cake will become a surprise gift. In either case, you are sure to win someone’s heart.
Expressing gratitude
Numerous occasions, such as Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and Teacher’s Day, present an opportunity to express gratitude to your seniors, mentors, or anybody else. Nothing could be a better way to commemorate these days than by adopting the cake-cutting custom. Cakes can add to the joy of such memorable occasions. An excellent way to convey gratitude to people that shaped you into the person you are today.
Shorten distances
Sending cakes to your friends and family online on special occasions lets you bridge the boundaries between hearts. You may also nourish your connections by sending delectable cakes to your nearest and dearest on birthdays, wedding days, or other momentous occasions. It helps them feel your presence and makes their celebrations much more enjoyable.
Yes, purchasing a cake provides several advantages. And now you have several great reasons to choose online cake delivery regardless of the occasion or distance. Consider the following points the next time you require a cake for a special occasion.


Students and administrators gathered Wednesday morning at the Georgia State Capitol to meet with legislators and learn about newly proposed resolutions that will affect the Institute.
“I really enjoyed this opportunity to network with my fellow classmates and important political figures alike,” said Lindsey Walton, a second-year BA major. “It was an amazing experience to meet people so passionate about Tech and supportive of legislation that would benefit the Institute.”
The morning began with a light breakfast and an address from Institute President “Bud” Peterson, who emphasized the importance of student involvement in the legislative process. He noted the many successful alumni that have gone on to serve as elected officials, including House Majority Leader Chip Rogers.
Rogers welcomed the Institute delegation and provided a brief overview of the House’s intentions for the current session. He highlighted the legislative branch’s support of a new policy that would enhance educational opportunity for Georgia’s students in line with Governor Deal’s recent pledge to focus on the state’s educational system.
Students were then invited to speak with the numerous officials that stopped by to greet the delegation, including representatives and senators from across the state. Participants discussed their opinions regarding pressing issues facing students and the Institute as a whole. The gathering also discussed the current objectives of the Institute and how these could be effectively and efficiently met during this legislative session.
Present in these discussions were administrators from the Office of Government and Community Relations, which is currently advocating a number of legislative priorities to state legislators. Chief among these is the addition of a new Engineered Biosystems Building to campus, requiring $59 million in bonds in addition to $34 million in private funding already raised. The building would provide 200,000 square feet of multidisciplinary research space for biosciences.
Other projects include securing $102.6 million in new formula funds to be shared among all USG institutions to support continued growth in credit hour enrollment, securing $50 million in repair and rehabilitation funding for aging facilities, and the strengthening of “B-Units” including the Enterprise Innovation Institute and the Georgia Tech Research Institute.
Capitol Jackets, an organization composed of alumni across the state and partners on campus concerned with representing the interests of Tech to legislative decision makers, was also present. Members expressed their support for continued cooperation between the Institute and lawmakers to continuously advance the success of the Institute’s objectives in the public sphere.


Accenture has been named a “Market Leader” for the Accenture Mobile Wallet platform in the “Ovum Decision Matrix: Selecting a White-label Mobile Wallet Platform,” scoring the highest overall technology assessment ranking in the report.
“While relatively new, the Accenture Mobile Wallet platform has among the most extensive capabilities of platforms available on the market today,” said Gilles Ubaghs, senior analyst at Ovum and author of the report. “With Accenture’s emphasis on the use of APIs to allow for the integration and development of value-added services as part of a complete wallet program, flexibility is built into the solution, which will be increasingly critical over time.”
Among the strengths noted regarding the white-label Accenture Mobile Wallet platform is the focus on the highly modular architecture, which allows users to plug-and-play the pieces of the solution that they require. With a focus on API integration and management, these modules can be easily integrated and configured with wallet providers’ broader infrastructures, while ensuring the flexibility to integrate new value-added services in the future.
“Being ranked as a Market Leader in this report reinforces our belief that clients today are looking for a modular, flexible, enabling white-label mobile wallet platform as they start to roll out their wallet ecosystems,” said Robert Hasson, managing director of digital commerce, Accenture Mobility. “The technology underlying our platform includes key elements from across Accenture Digital, integrating advanced analytics and big data capabilities with our customer recommendation tools to create personalized offers in real-time. For clients that are happy with elements of their existing payment and marketing infrastructures, these modular capabilities are excellent tools to further enhance the experience for their customers by offering them a more engaging, relevant service that can build their loyalty.”
The Ovum Decision Matrix report provides a detailed assessment of seven mobile wallet platform vendors, including a summary of each vendor’s mobile wallet platform capabilities based on a quantitative assessment of its influence on the global white-label mobile wallet platform market, and the quality and breadth of the functionality provided by its platform and underlying technology. According to Ovum, the “Market Leaders” category represents the leading platforms that are worthy of a place on most technology-selection shortlists. Vendors in this category have established a commanding market position with a product that is widely accepted as best-of-breed.
The Accenture Mobile Wallet platform is a robust, modular white-label platform that underpins a digital commerce ecosystem. It provides a range of enabling capabilities, including:
Allowing end-users to manage and operate all of their cards, including credit, debit, loyalty and gift cards Recommending relevant ‘next best offer’ promotions to customers based on their location, transaction history data and additional data sources Managing mobile proximity transactions and payments at point of sale Allowing users to send money to existing users or future users, reducing the need for any other tools in financial transactions
In an earlier report1 from analyst firm 451 Research, it was noted that: “Accenture has developed an end-to-end mobile commerce solution with the necessary features to meet the needs of operators, financial institutions and retailer consortiums looking to deploy a mobile wallet. In particular, the modularity of its platform in conjunction with its Accenture Recommendation Engine and Accenture Analytics solution positions the consulting giant’s platform as an attractive precision marketing tool.”
With acquisitions including digital agency Reactive, service design company Fjord, and advanced analytics software platform provider i4C Analytics, Accenture is able to adapt the white-label, modular platform to enable many advanced services that businesses could benefit from as part of a complete digital commerce ecosystem. This can then be managed either on-premise, via Software as a Service or as a hybrid cloud model.


Opiate withdrawal leads to the emergence of an aversive state that can be conditioned to a specific environment. Reactivation of these withdrawal memories has been suggested to be involved in relapse to drug-seeking of abstinent opiate addicts. Among the limbic areas that are likely to mediate these features of opiate dependence, amygdala nuclei represent critical neural substrates. Using a conditioned place aversion paradigm (CPA), we have previously shown specific opposite patterns of reactivity in the basolateral (BLA) and the central (CeA) amygdala, when comparing the experience of acute opiate withdrawal with the re-exposure to a withdrawal-paired environment. These data gave clues about the potential mechanisms by which amygdala nuclei may be involved in withdrawal memories. To extend these results, the present study aimed to assess the cellular reactivity and plasticity of amygdala nuclei during the opiate withdrawal conditioning process. For this, we have quantified c-fos and arc expression using in situ hybridization in rats, following each of the three conditioning sessions during CPA, and after re-exposure to the withdrawal-paired environment. BLA output neurons showed an increase in the expression of the plasticity-related arc gene during conditioning that was also increased by re-exposure to the withdrawal-paired environment. Interestingly, the CeA showed an opposite pattern of responding, and the intercalated cell masses (ITC), a possible inhibitory interface between the BLA and CeA, showed a persistent activation of c-fos and arc mRNA. We report here specific c-fos and arc patterns of reactivity in amygdala nuclei during withdrawal conditioning. These findings improve our understanding of the involvement of the amygdala network in the formation and retrieval of withdrawal memories. Plasticity processes within BLA output neurons during conditioning, may participate in increasing the BLA reactivity to conditioned stimuli, which could in turn (by the control of downstream nuclei) reinforce and drive the motivational properties of withdrawal over drug consumption.


Rapid developments in technology in recent times, coupled with increasing demands for electronicproducts, have led to a rapid increase in electronic waste (e-waste) in the environment. The leaching ofmetals from e-wastes into the environment is a potential health and environmental hazard. The presentstudy investigates the leaching potential of fourteen metals (Ag, Al, As, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Na, Ni,Pb and Zn) in mixed waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) and plastic housing (PH) from recycling/dumpsites. The assessment was carried out using rain water, deionized water, synthetic precipitation leachingprocedure (SPLP) solution and seawater over a period of 192 hours at regular intervals. The data obtainedwas compared to TCLP and WET limits. The toxicity characteristic potential of the elements extracted bythese solvents were in the order deionized water>rainwater>SPLP>seawater. The levels of the 14 elementsstudied were generally low and in varying concentrations, with Ca, K, Mg and Na being relatively higher inall the leaching fluids. The results further proved that leaching from PCBs and PH was a significant source oftrace metals from recycling/dump sites. Therefore, proper handling and disposal of these waste materialsshould be encouraged to lessen their impact on the environment.


We have employed first-principles density-functional calculations to study the electronic characteristics of graphene functionalized by metal-bis-arene and metal-carbonyl molecules. It is shown that functionalization with M-bis-arene (M(C6H6)@gr, M=Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe) molecules leads to an opening in the band gap of graphene (up to 0.81eV for the Cr derivative), and functionalization with M-carbonyl (M(CX)3@gr, X=O,N; M= Cr, Mn, Fe, Co) up to one 1eV for M=Cr and X=O, and therefore transforms graphene from a semi-metal to a semiconductor. The band gap induced by attachment of a metal atom topped by a functionalizing group is attributed to modification of π-conjugation and depends on the concentration of functionalizing molecules, metal’s and moiety’s electronic structure. This approach offers a means of tailoring the band structure of graphene and potentially its applications for future electronic devices.


Health fitness is now commonly used to evaluate the health level of individuals. Among the four elements of health fitness, flexibility is often neglected. In fact, good flexibility is an essential element to ensure smooth movement and life without injury, especially for the elderly, good flexibility is a prerequisite for functional activities and directly affects the quality of life in later life. However, the current methods of flexibility-related measurement have problems such as unclear measurement base, no definition of measurement time, no description of measurement frequency, insufficient data accuracy, and complicated measurement tools. This study expects to construct a more scientific flexibility measurement system by redefining measurement concepts, expanding measurement methods in disguise, developing new measurement techniques, and developing professional measurement tools.


Last year, I moved to a new city, 1,000 miles from my old one. Since then, I’ve learned to make a few adjustments. I bike as a primary mode of transportation again, since Nashville’s public transit options are limited; I appreciate the community aspects of Southern culture; I’ve had moments when I feel more like a New England native than ever before. I’ve also adapted to become a worker without borders (WWB) on the Metis team.
Remote working is far from a passing trend. It’s been a part of the Metis culture since the company was founded in 2005, and in 2013 the Wall Street Journal reported that approximately 13.4 million U.S. workers labored at least one day at home per week, resulting in lower costs and higher productivity rates for their companies. If asked my thoughts on life as a WWB, my answer is almost always the same – I love it, but you need a dedicated space for it. Whether it’s a corner of your apartment or an entire room in your home, when you’re treating part of your living space as an office, you need to consider it your place of work and set it up so you can focus. When I leave my desk for the day, I feel like I’m commuting home, even though I’m usually just headed downstairs to make dinner. Metis WWBs are located in Massachusetts, California, New York, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee, but every Metis team member has the option to work from home on Fridays, and her flexibility grows as her tenure with the company increases. Below is a peek into some of the satellite offices where we’re holding down the fort from afar.
Can you guess which space belongs to each team member?


1 1.Patients with upper airway disease, such as rhinitis and rhinosinusitis, should have a higher prevalence of lower respiratory diseases, such as asthma; the corollary, increased prevalence of upper respiratory disease among patients with lower respiratory diseases, also should be present. 2.Interrelated pathophysiologic mechanisms between upper and lower airway diseases should exist to explain the interaction of these two disease processes. 3.Treatment of one portion of the unified airway should improve symptoms in a separate portion of the respiratory system. Otolaryngologic Clinics of North Americaon the Unified Airway with aplomb. As the original concept is now well-recognized, these Guest Editors selected topics and authors to highlight the advances in knowledge of inflammation and targeted therapies. This 2023 issue explores topics such as diagnosis, why some get airways disease and others do not, including genetics, epigenetics, environmental factors, and sex differences, and various specific airways diseases, and concludes with medical and surgical treatments. I hope that once you read this issue you will feel inclined to share it with your colleagues in pulmonary medicine and allergy/immunology and continue to promote the concept of the unified airway to enhance patient care. References Asthma and the unified airway. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg.2007; 136: S75-S106 Article Info Footnotes
www.ears.nyc


Summary
Fracture liaison services (FLSs) check if people who have recently broken a bone after falling from a standing height or less (a fragility fracture) might also have osteoporosis – a disease that weakens bones. They then advise on treatments to reduce the risk of another fracture, helping to improve patient outcomes. The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) estimates that at least 90,000 patients in England and Wales who should have anti-osteoporosis therapy are not receiving it.
This guide by the RCP's Fracture Liaison Service Database (FLS-DB) aims to help patients and their families and carers understand what to expect following a fragility fracture. It outlines three key findings and the actions that individuals can take to ensure they receive the care and treatment they need from health services.
Content


Stay Metrics, South Bend, Ind., announced an update to its
Stay Days Table for the 1st half of 2019. The update includes data for drivers hired each month from January 2018 through May 2019 from its carrier clients.
The
Stay Days Table tracks early-stage driver retention across a broad range of carrier clients, representing dry van, tanker, reefer, flatbed and more segments. This iteration of the table includes data for 47,283 drivers and 93 carriers.
The key insight from this update is that early-stage turnover is increasing overall across the industry. While drivers hired in January 2018 stayed an average of 283 days, drivers hired in June 2018 stayed only 216 days on average, a decrease of 67 days.
The early indications for drivers hired in 2019 seem to be following this trend. Averaging several months together and comparing by year shows this most clearly.
For instance, 84.9% of drivers hired from March through May made it a full 30 days with their carriers, compared to 86.3% over the same period in 2018.
This shift is even more pronounced at the 3-month mark. Among drivers hired in 1st quarter 2019, only 64.9% made it 90 days. This is almost a 5% decrease from 69.3% during 1st quarter 2018. This downward trend on the average driver retention rate is consistent with research released by American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), Austin, Texas, which revealed driver shortage is the top-ranked issue for the second year in a row.
"This update drives home the message we've been talking about for years—early turnover is where it's at. Getting the early driver onboarding experience right should be a critical focus for every carrier,” says Tim Hindes, chief executive officer.
“These data point to a need to better understand what drives early-stage turnover. The key to doing this is a well-designed, comprehensive set of measures that can identify these factors and how they fluctuate over time. Analytics that lead to insights and highlight opportunities for improvement are also critical, but the analytics are only as good as the data on which they are based. Quality, comprehensive measurement is the foundation,” says Dr. Bradley Fulton, director of research and analytics.


The global household robots market is on the rise. According to the International Federation of Robotics, unit sales of household robots are expected to increase by 46% on average per year, with more than 55 million units will be sold in 2022. Also, sales values for the household robot were up by 15% to USD 3.7 billion. The household robots market is expected to register a CAGR of 20.50% over the period 2020 – 2025 according to Researchandmarets.com. Vacuum cleaning and mopping segment to dominate the market
Among all the household robots, automated vacuum cleaners and moppers are the most commercialized and developed products by the companies. The companies are continuously investing in developing more compact and integrated vacuum cleaner and mopping robots to reach narrow places at home. The companies are integrating advanced technologies, like voice recognition and laser-based technologies, to map the floor structure. For instance, Irobot launched a Roomba i7+, which is capable of acquiring voice commands and intelligent mapping techniques.
Additionally, with the increasing developments in the machine vision cameras, companies are also using these 2D and 3D machine vision cameras with AI technologies to effectively map edges of the floor, like a staircase, and recognize obstacles, such as cables, dustbins, doorsills, and rugs.
Moreover, to increase the life of cleaning tools, like brushes and filter, now, the companies are installing blades inside the chamber to cut the trash into pieces; especially human and pet hairs which cause frequent entanglements in the equipment and reduce cleaning effectiveness.
The Asia-Pacific Region is Expected to Witness the Fastest Growth
The Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness the fastest growth, due to high investments in household robot development and growth in the demand for autonomous smart home devices, like robotics cleaners. The region includes countries, like China, offering low priced toy robots, among other sophisticated household robots. According to Asia Fund Manager 2019 studies, Ecovacs Robotics is China’s biggest player in household robotics. It has sold 4.14 million products, pushing sales revenue up by 34.7% year-on-year.
Companies in the region are also looking forward to developing all-purpose household robots for helping with chores and even offering companionship. Toyota is expected to launch the inverted age-pyramid in Japan by 2050. Also, the company is investing in developing household products. Additionally, a startup from Japan, Preferred Networks, declared to launch the all-purpose household robots to help people in the next five years.
Moreover, the investors in the region are continuously injecting funds in the startups offering household robots. For instance, in January 2020, Trifo raised USD 15 million from investors that include Yidu Cloud, Tsinghua AI Fund, and Matrix Partners for its robotic vacuum “Lucy”.
In July 2019, iFlyTek raised an investment of USD 407 million from China Asset Management to integrate AI and service robots. Such growth in the market is expected to drive the growth of the household robots market in the region.


Pastoralism offers a productive and profitable—but also sustainable—form of food production in many settings across the region covered by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). While climate change is exacerbating many of the existing environmental challenges facing livestock producers—especially drought—pastoralism nonetheless offers an extraordinarily resilient form of primary production that is well-suited to adapt to these changes. Policies and programmes to support pastoral resilience often focus on promoting specific adaptations. While this may be beneficial in the short-term, trends change and old adaptation strategies may become less suitable or even maladaptive. Rather than following pre-selected adaptation pathways, pastoralists must be equipped to adjust their adaptive strategies in response to ever-shifting climatic and environmental changes. Accordingly, climate resilience policies should focus not only on promoting specific adaptations, but on providing long-term support for adaptive capacity. This report brings together the most recent literature on pastoralism, mobility and climate change in the IGAD region in order to highlight the regional climate hazards facing pastoralists in the years ahead, and to identify evidence-based strategies for promoting their resilience in the face of adverse and often unpredictable environmental changes.
Report
IOM & ICPALD
01/09/2022
43


Creating sustainable timber forests from degraded grasslands
For nearly 500 years, Paraguay has extended its grasslands and prairies for cattle farming, the main export of the country being high-quality beef. Where the land historically was deforested and turned into these expansive grasslands, the soil over the years has been severely degraded by the trampling hooves of cows. As deforestation continues to sweep through the Amazon rainforest, it has become vital to reforest such areas to relieve pressure on South America’s natural resources and curb harmful carbon emissions from the Earth’s atmosphere.


Patient profiles will be assessed to identify those drug regimens, which may result in clinically significant drug-drug interactions. The following drug-drug interactions are considered clinically relevant for immune globulins. Only those drug-drug interactions classified as clinical significance level 1 or those considered life-threatening which have not yet been classified will be reviewed.
Live/Live Attenuated Virus Vaccines 1,2 (e.g., measles, mumps, rubella, varicella) [clinical significance level- major (DrugReax); 2-major (CP)]
Adjunctive administration of immune globulins with live/live attenuated virus vaccines may inhibit the immune response to the vaccination by passively transferring antibodies and diminishing the desired vaccine effect. Antibodies present in immune globulins may diminish the response to mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccines for up to 6 months, while the measles vaccine response may be compromised for up to one year or more. Do not administer live vaccines for at least three months after immune globulin administration. Immune globulin and the hyperimmune globulin, varicella zoster immune globulin, should not be administered concurrently with the live varicella zoster vaccine. There should be at least a five-month interval between immune globulin (including varicella zoster immune globulin) administration and live varicella vaccination. Immune globulin should not be administered for two months after live varicella vaccine administration unless the benefits of immune globulin administration outweigh the potential for reduced vaccine effects.


In the federal sector, following initial EEO contact, an initial EEO interview session will be conducted in accordance with law regulation.
Pandemic and Post Pandemic federal employee travel will be a key area of employment impacted by societal changes resulting from the Pandemic.
As of the publication date of this article, the EEOC PCI process is a relatively new development that will affect all case processing.
In Morgan v. Department of Veterans Affairs, 108 LRP 7740 , EEOC No. 0120080380 (EEOC OFO 2008), a tracking slip showing a notice of right to file was left at a complainant’s doorstep. However, it was not conclusive evidence the complainant actually received the notice on that day.
In our case evaluation, we note many situations may be “adverse” or otherwise objectionable, not all situations and appeals are actionable.
Employees engaged in pro se administrative litigation (for example, EEOC complaints or MSPB appeals) often just seek assistance during specific components of a process in an effort to save money.
One of the most common questions we receive concerns the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaint process. Yes, without question, the process can be confusing to the uninitiated. This is why there are numerous published EEO complaint process charts.
During the past two years, we noticed many federal agencies deviating from a clearly defined, though not stringent, EEO complaint process.
This article is intended to introduce the concept and purpose of an “Agency File” subsequent to a Merit Systems Protection Board Acknowledgement Order (AO).
Federal Employees Should Leverage the EEO Process This article is not intended to serve as a treatise on filing an EEO complaint. It is intended to serve as an introduction to why you may want to leverage the EEO process rather than the…
Failure to State A Claim in EEOC under Title 29 can lead to dismissal of EEO claims for federal employees.


Expedited Expungements in New Jersey – FAQs As of October 2022, there is a substantial backlog in the processing of expungement petitions in the State of New Jersey. At the time of the writing of this article, expungements in New Jersey take anywhere from two to two and a half years from start to finish […]
With the advent of ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft, many people have found a source of income by driving for these services as a “side gig.” The overall requirements for drivers using these platforms are not particularly strict. However, if you have a criminal record, you may want to read the fine print before […]
If you have a criminal record, you already know how difficult it can be to find gainful employment. A criminal record can also be big stumbling block when it comes to finding housing. Many private landlords and public housing projects have policies against renting to individuals with criminal records. However, following new guidance published by […]
All licensed real estate brokers, agents, and other real estate professionals are required to undergo a criminal background check as part of the licensure process. As part of that process, you will be asked the following questions: “1. With the exception of a motor vehicle violations, have you ever been convicted of a crime, misdemeanor, […]
The attorneys at Katherine O’Brien Law are frequently asked to handle expungements for individuals seeking to begin a career in professional fields, which often require a criminal background check before a license will be issued. This includes those who wish to become real estate agents or brokers. If you are currently enrolled in real estate […]


Research Paper
1. Department of General Pathology, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland
2. Department of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland 3. Department of Perinatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland 4. Department of Obstetrics and Pathology of Pregnancy, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland *These authors equally contributed to the work. Background: Preterm birth is the most frequent cause of neonatal death, but its aetiology remains unclear. It has been suggested that the imbalance of immunological mechanisms responsible for maintaining pregnancy is contributing to preterm birth pathogenesis. We aimed to investigate global gene expression and the levels of several complement system components in umbilical cord blood samples from preterm neonates and compare them to term newborns. We sought to examine how differentially expressed genes could affect various immune-related pathways that are believed to be crucial factors in preterm birth. Material and methods: We enrolled 27 preterm infants (<37 weeks GA) and 52 term infants (>37 weeks GA), from which umbilical cord blood samples were collected. From these samples, peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated and subsequent RNA isolation was performed. We used Affymetrix Human Gene 2.1 ST Array Strip for microarray experiment and DAVID resources for bioinformatics analysis of the obtained data. Concentrations of C2, C3a, C5/C5a, C9, FactorD, Properdin were measured in umbilical cord blood plasma samples using multiplex fluorescent bead-based immunoassays using Luminex technology. Results: The levels of C3a and C5/5a were significantly elevated in preterm neonates compared to term babies, whereas C9 concentration was evidently increased in term infants. The expression of 250 genes was upregulated at least 2-fold and 3781 genes were downregulated at least 2-fold in preterm neonates in comparison with term infants. Functional annotation analysis revealed that in preterm infants in comparison to term babies there was a significant downregulation of genes encoding several Toll-like receptors, interleukins and genes involved in major signalling pathways (e.g. NF-κB, MAPK, TNF, Notch, JAK) and vital cellular processes (e.g. intracellular signal transduction, protein ubiquitination, protein transport, RNA splicing, DNA-templated transcription). Conclusions: Preterm birth results in immediate and long-term complications. Our results indicate that infants born prematurely show significant differences in complement components concentration and a downregulation of over 3,000 genes, involved mainly in various immune-related pathways, including innate immune response, phagocytosis and TLR function, when compared to full-term babies. Further studies on larger cohorts are needed to elucidate the role of immunity in prematurity. Keywords: premature birth, complement system proteins, immunity, gene expression


Ecommerce packaging involves protecting your products, establishing brand identity, and controlling shipping costs. It enhances customer experience and improves profitability. While there are many packaging options to choose from, your packaging option should directly correlate with your brand. Modern-day consumers are environmentally conscious and decide depending on eco-friendliness, so consider going green with your packaging.
Appealing and logistically reliable packaging enables improved customer satisfaction, increased brand recognition, high product reliability, and less shipping damage. The suitable eCommerce packaging makes your brand stand out. The wrong choice of packaging can damage your products and weaken customer retention and brand connections. Below are packaging tips for online stores.
1. Showcase brand personality Customer perception of your brand is essential for retaining old customers and increasing market share. When buying from eCommerce stores, consumers want to be certain of the brands they’re interacting with. Brand features such as appearance, brand identity, and color can be used to ensure consumers connect with your packaging. Customize your product packaging design and make it simple and easy to understand. This assures your customers you will deliver a quality customer experience as your packaging connects your products to your brand. 2. Focus on product security Maintaining product security when shipping is essential. Use protective padding materials such as packaging tissue and bubble wrap to avert potential product damage when shipping. Packaging foam can also securely hold your items in place, ensuring security. Poor packaging options result in damaged products, negatively impacting the customer experience. 3. Use sustainable materials Sustainable packaging is a great way to attract repeat purchases and increase brand loyalty. To cater to environmentally conscious consumers and satisfy them, use recyclable or reusable packaging to eliminate waste and enhance environmental health. Embracing sustainability will keep such customers loyal to your business, increasing profitability. 4. Use good liners Without good liners, your products may reach the consumers in a leaking mess. If you anticipate your packages will experience harsh conditions such as humidity, high heat, or careless handling, invest in vented liners to ensure reduced packaging distortions, less costly modifications, simpler quality control, and eliminate the need for fluorination treatment. 5. Include personal touch in your packaging Being minimalist with your packaging design lowers the appeal of valuable, high-quality products. First impressions are essential, especially when looking for ways to grab your customers’ attention, showcase your brand, and improve customer service. Customizing gift boxes, personalizing branded tape, and paying attention to detail can improve customer satisfaction while projecting a positive brand image. Quality personalized packaging creates brand awareness and enhances marketing. 6. Add easy-to-use-guides for your products and use package inserts Adding easy-to-use guides in your packaging promotes ease of use and convenience, helping you retain existing customers. This demonstrates your interest in meeting their needs, boosting their entire shopping experience, and making them return for future purchases.
Packaging inserts are additional items you put in customer shipments such as small gifts, thank you cards, and future discount notices, increasing customer loyalty and ensuring customers keep returning. This personalizes your customers’ shopping experience, making them feel appreciated and valued. Since inserts aren’t expected or requested, they can satisfy clients and build goodwill.
Conclusion To create a memorable, lasting impression on your customers, you need to satisfy their overall shopping experience using creative strategies like attractive, sustainable packaging. Consider the above packaging tips for your online store.


UB complies with laws and policies that require the accessibility of our programs and activities.
The Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 require colleges and universities to ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to UB's services, programs and activities. For physical access, this means that newer facilities must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). UB has many campus buildings that were constructed prior to accessibility guidelines and requirements. We are required to ensure that programs and activities that are scheduled in these buildings can be accessed regardless of whether an individual has a disability. This program access may be achieved through modifications to existing buildings, or by relocating the program or activity to an accessible location.
Federal accessibility requirements also expect that individuals with disabilities will have equal access to programs and services that are provided electronically. This includes the University's websites, online courses, electronic forms and other electronic content that is necessary to participate in school or work. A joint June 29, 2010 Dear Colleague Letter from the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education clarified that “individuals with disabilities, including students with visual impairments, may not be discriminated against in the full and equal enjoyment of all of the goods and services of private colleges and universities; they must receive an equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from these goods and services; and they must not be provided different or separate goods or services unless doing so is necessary to ensure that access to the goods and services is equally as effective as that provided to others.” According to this letter, individuals with disabilities must have equal access to goods and services that are offered electronically.
On June 20, 2019, the State University of New York (SUNY) released an Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) Policy. This requires all SUNY schools, including UB, to take actions that include the following:


China has emerged as a leading participant in multilateral development organizations. In many ways, this is a welcome development. Today’s global challenges, including COVID-19 and climate change, require an international response and have prompted renewed calls for increased multilateral engagement...
To contribute to a growing base of knowledge and expertise on opportunities to reverse the specific effects of forest loss and degradation—and to improve the conditions of host populations and refugees in Cox’s Bazar—BRAC, the Center for Global Development, and The Nature...
A CGD Task Force assessed the implications of Basel III for EMDEs and provided recommendations for both international and local policymakers to make Basel III work for these economies. This brief summarizes the key findings and recommendations.
Bangladesh is providing a significant global public good by hosting nearly one million Rohingya refugees, including 700,000 who fled violence carried out with “genocidal intent” in 2017. The international community has an opportunity to recognize Bangladesh’s contributions through ...
Savings can help businesses expand, by enabling them to finance lumpy investments and absorb unexpected shocks. However, several barriers stand in the way of women firm owners in developing countries who want to increase their savings.
Women own more than half of all micro, small, and medium enterprises in Indonesia. But of the estimated 22–33 million businesswomen in the country, most operate informal unregistered microenterprises, with significantly fewer assets and profits than men’s.


The Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA) offers incentives through the Electric Efficiency program. These incentives are available to the membership (and members’ retail customers) of IMEA. FY2022-23 of the program runs from May 1, 2022 through April 30, 2023. Funds are allocated to IMEA members based on a prorated share of their electric purchases from the IMEA. Commercial/industrial and public-sector facilities served by members can apply for funds using the appropriate FY2022-23 application forms found on the website.
Eligible projects must be located in Illinois and receive electric service from the IMEA or an IMEA Member. Projects must produce electricity savings through efficiency improvements in commercial, industrial or public-sector buildings, equipment, or processes. Ineligible projects include repairs of existing equipment, fuel switching, new electric generation or those projects solely related to demand response or demand control. Project paybacks must occur before the projected end of the equipment life.


Heavy Metal Removal
Industrial processes can often result in wastewater contaminated with heavy metals
Heavy Metals, when in significant concentrations in water, may pose detrimental health effects.
Heavy metals include lead, silver, mercury, copper, nickel, chromium, zinc, cadmium and tin that must be removed to certain levels to meet discharge requirements or be recycled for reuse.
The feed water containing dissolved metals is fed to reaction tank #1 where chemicals (such as NaOH) are added to form metal hydroxides, which will precipitate out from water.
The water is then fed to reaction tank #2 where additional chemicals and coagulant are added to control pH and further enhance precipitation and the formation of solids.
The water is then sent to a concentration tank to be treated by a tubular membrane filtration system.
The settled sludge is periodically removed to a sludge tank.
The accumulated sludge is sent to a filter press for de-wetting and then disposed. The excess water from the press is piped back to the concentration tank.


The solution allows customers to protect public-facing applications from online fraud caused by automated attacks such as account takeovers and API business logic abuse.
The new SaaS offering complements existing on-premises or cloud deployment options, delivering the same security functionality while reducing the operational effort required to protect public-facing applications from automated attacks.
Following a shared responsibility model, Cequence Security deploys and manages the underlying SaaS infrastructure, ensuring continuous uptime and updates for the platform software. Meanwhile, all security policies, data and system configuration elements are managed and owned by the customer.
“Enterprise digital transformation typically combines cloud-first initiatives with the adoption of more iterative, microservices-based application development methodologies with the goal of being more efficient while increasing competitiveness,” said Ameya Talwalkar, co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Cequence Security.
“CQ botDefense SaaS complements our existing on-prem and cloud deployments, allowing customers to reduce the operational burden associated with protecting their digital transformation initiatives from automated bot attacks.”
CQ botDefense SaaS has been certified as PCI DSS 3.2 Level 2 for Service Providers compliant and is in process for SOC II Level I certification. Both are critical SaaS selection criteria for enterprise customers, providing assurance that the Cequence Operations Team adheres to strict guidelines for protecting customer data.
Deployed as a secure, single tenant service on AWS, CQ botDefense SaaS delivers three important features that can help customers save time and strengthen their application security posture:
Discover– Once CQ botDefense SaaS is deployed, the CQAI analytics engine automatically discovers all web, mobile, and API-based endpoints targeted by malicious bot attacks. Detect– CQAI uses Machine Learning and threat intelligence to determine the underlying intent and behavior of each transaction to identify malicious bot traffic in near real time. Defend– CQ botDefense SaaS can automatically take action and block bad traffic, or it can work with a customer’s existing security tools to block malicious bot attacks.
CQ botDefense SaaS complements native AWS services, integrating seamlessly with commonly used CDNs including Amazon CloudFront to block bot attacks at the edge. Alternatively, it can be deployed closer to the application infrastructure with load balancer integration, requiring no changes to CDNs or DNS settings.
With either option, it’s also worth noting that no changes are required to any web, mobile, or API-based applications, such as JavaScript injection or SDK modifications that may impact application deployment efforts or page load performance.


Benefits of Detoxing, Cleansing, and Fasting
The main benefit of a detox is the restoration of your body’s natural self-healing abilities. During the first 12 hours of a detox, your body stops the process of metabolizing i.e. converting food into energy. The energy that the body would use to process food then gets redirected into self-healing.
The physiological benefits will include disease prevention, reduced symptoms from many different ailments, cleansing the body, giving digestive organs a rest, overall rejuvenation, weight loss, clearer skin, slower aging, increased flexibility, improved fertility and enhanced senses.
The more subtle benefits of detox can include getting in touch with a deeper sense of yourself, by freeing yourself from toxins and allowing the body to utilize the energy from digestion you become more receptive to subtle changes. These can include having a clearer mind, heightened intuition, opening up emotionally and allowing for more positive possibilities to enter our lives.


Subanesthetic-dose ketamine infusion may significantly reduce depression and suicidal ideation among patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder, according to study findings published in
Journal of Affective Disorders.
Researchers conducted a secondary analysis of data from a crossover randomized trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00088699) that included 29 patients (19 women; mean age, 36.86±10.06 years) with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder without psychotic features who were not receiving medication. Of these patients, 12 had attempted suicide and 17 did not attempt suicide. Only baseline and postketamine periods were considered for the analysis.
Participants were experiencing a major depressive episode that lasted at least 4 weeks, were nonresponsive to at least 1 antidepressant during this episode, and had a score of at least 20 on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Some participants were excluded due to imminent risk for suicide. All participants did not receive medications at least 2 weeks prior to the start of the study. Nonsuicidal self-injury was not considered.
At baseline, there were no significant differences in suicidal ideation or MADRS scores between those who attempted suicide and those who did not attempt suicide. A significant reduction for all participants was observed in suicidal ideation (baseline mean=0.351; 95% CI, 0.282-0.419; ketamine mean=0.253; 95% CI, 0.161-0.345) and depression (MADRS scores baseline mean=33.38; 95% CI, 31.43-35.33; ketamine mean=24.76; 95% CI, 20.38-29.14) several hours following ketamine infusion.
Participants were also given an attentional dot probe task with emotional face stimuli at baseline. Following ketamine infusion, participants who attempted suicide showed improved accuracy on task compared with participants who did not attempt suicide. There was a significant group-by-emotion-by-suicidal ideation interaction in the right-hemisphere subcortical and cortical structures. This was driven by a stronger negative association between theta power and suicidal ideation scores for happy faces relative to angry faces among those who did not attempt suicide and a slight positive association increase between theta power and suicidal thought scores for happy faces relative to angry faces among those who attempted suicide.
Gamma power in regions of the frontal and parietal cortices for participants in both groups had been positively associated with suicidal ideation. Indexed by theta power differences, participants who attempted suicide differed significantly in emotional reactivity to happy faces vs angry faces with or without ketamine in an extended amygdala-hippocampal region.
Researchers observed a significant reduction in the association between suicidal ideation and alpha power for happy faces compared with angry faces in a fronto-insular/anterior cingulate region with ketamine.
Limitations of the study include the nature of a secondary analysis, underpowered sample size, unaccounted suicidal ideation independent of depression, and unaccounted temporal variation in suicide risk.
Study authors concluded “Ketamine significantly reduced [suicidal ideation] SI in attempters and nonattempters, and attempters performed better on the dot probe task postketamine administration compared to nonattempters.” They added, “In an extended amygdala-hippocampal region, attempters demonstrated differences in emotional reactivity to angry faces compared to happy faces in theta power, and ketamine administration altered the association between alpha power and SI to angry relative to happy faces in a fronto-insular/anterior cingulate region important for regulating alertness and attentiveness to incoming stimuli.”
References:
Gilbert JR, Gerner JL, Burton CR, Nugent AC, Zarate CA Jr, Ballard ED. Magnetoencephalography biomarkers of suicide attempt history and antidepressant response to ketamine in treatment-resistant major depression.
J Affect Disord. September 1, 2022;312:188-197. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.06.025


FILTER BY CATEGORY All Anti-Aging Supplements Cellular Health Supplements Circulation Cognitive Supplements Detox Detox Apothecary GI Supplements HEMP Holiday Bundles Hormone Balance Supplements Immune Suite Immune System Supplements Immunity Sale Inflammation Supplements Liposomal Vitamins and Minerals Liver Detox Supplements Metabolism Booster Supplements Product Bundles Protocols Sleep Supplements STOCK UP & SAVE 20% WITH CODE THANKFUL20 Vitamins and Minerals Bitters No. 9 Digestive Bitters Blend, Liposomal 1.7 FL OZ (50ml)
Fast-paced lifestyles, standard American diets, and medication use are a few modern-day influences that create digestive discomfort and common GI ailments. Compromise bile production and fluidity can further exasperate symptoms.
Bitters No. 9 is a gentler version of Dr. Shades Bitter X formulations. A comprehensive liposomal blend of nine bitter herbs and essential oils that gently encourage bile production, digestive function, and detoxification.
Supports digestive function and comfort Aids in healthy bile production and flow An ally in detoxification and healthy liver and gallbladder function Supports a balanced microbiome Influences a healthy inflammatory response Uses patent-pending Quicksilver Scientific Delivery Systems(R) technology to create small, stable delivery vesicles (between 20-70 nm) that begin absorbing as soon as they hit the mouth.* The difference is clear: this product’s liquid transparency can only be achieved with nanoparticles that are smaller than wavelengths of light.*
NET WT 1.7 FL OZ (50ML)
47.00— or / month
47.00— or / month
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Information provided by this website or this company is not a substitute for individual medical advice. | ©Quicksilver Scientific, Inc, 2022
Digest, Mobilize & Detox Natural Momentum – Proper bile flow is a key element of wellbeing and digestive comfort. It involves the GI tract, kidneys, liver, and gallbladder. Bitters No. 9 is designed to address this entire system.* GI Botanicals – Gentian may help stimulate digestive secretions, while essential oils such as myrrh and clove may support proper gut flora.* Detoxifying Flow – Momentum is needed to ‘unstick’ and move bile throughout the system. Solidago, milk thistle and dandelion are included for their diuretic, bile mobilizing, and liver, kidney and gallbladder-supportive properties.* Fast-Acting – Our advanced liposomal format lights up bitter receptors as soon as it hits the tongue and circulates quickly in the body.*
Bitters No. 9 is a premium blend of nine bitter herbs and essential oils that orchestrate digestion and detoxification via the liver, gallbladder, and kidneys.
Bile flow is essential for detoxification. Our formula combines herbs and essential oils that gently facilitate bile flow and toxin elimination and is suitable for even the most sensitive individuals.
Dandelion – Dandelion has been shown to support detoxification by upregulating antioxidant pathways, aiding in healthy kidney function, helping enhance urinary elimination of toxins, and having hepatoprotective properties. This bitter herb has also been shown to support a balanced inflammatory response, another critical aspect of optimal detoxification. Milk thistle – Milk Thistle is a traditional Western herb that contains a powerful bioactive compound called Silymarin. In addition to supporting a healthy liver and bile flow, silymarin has been shown to support phase II detoxification by activating the Nrf2 pathway, promoting glutathione production.* Gentian – Gentian is a full-bodied bitter botanical, containing the bioactive compounds gentiopicroside and gentiolactone. These compounds have been shown to be hepatoprotective in endotoxicity, supporting healthy bile flow, and upregulating antioxidant enzyme activity. Burdock root– Burdock is a hearty root vegetable with long use in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western herbalism. This root has been shown to restore healthy inflammatory response as well as demonstrate hepatoprotective activity. Solidago – Solidago, a flowering plant with tiny, bright yellow blossoms, is known for supporting urinary tract health. It aids in healthy excretion and toxin elimination while supporting the activity of glutathione S-transferase, a critical enzyme in phase II detoxification. The bioactive polyphenols in Solidago have also been shown to offer antimicrobial benefits. Essential oils of sweet orange, myrrh, juniper, and clove – The essential oil of myrrh, a resinous substance derived from the Commiphora mukul tree, supports healthy bile flow by increasing the expression of the human bile salt export pump and promotes a healthy microbial balance. Juniper and Clove essential oils support microbial balance in the GI and sweet orange essential oil supports antioxidant activity.
How To Use
Use 1-2 pumps in water or into mouth three times daily. Alternatively, use 2-4 pumps in sparkling water during or after meals, and as needed for digestive comfort. Best taken on an empty stomach at least 10 minutes before meals. If pregnant, breast-feeding, or planning to become pregnant, consult your physician before use.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Supplement Facts Serv. Size: 1.0 mL (2 Pumps) Amount Daily Serv. Per Container: 50 Per Serv. Value Phosphatidylcholine
(from purified sunflower seed lecithin)
35mg ** Proprietary Blend
Liquid extracts of Dandelion (aerial parts)
Milk Thistle (aerial parts), Gentian (root),
Burdock (root), and Solidago virgaurea
(aerial parts), Essential oil of sweet orange,
Myrrh, Juniper and Clove.
271mg ** **Daily Value (DV) not established Other Ingredients: Glycerin, Water, Ethanol, Vitamin E (as Tocofersolan and Natural Mixed Tocopherols), and Acacia Gum


New homes are built to be airtight and efficient, but your house needs to breathe. When air is trapped inside, so is excess humidity. This can lead to condensation or ice on your windows in winter—both of which can damage and rot wood frames and lead to mold growth. If you have a newer home, ask us about an air quality test. Not only can we identify and offer solutions for humidity problems, but we also have air purifiers to address the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from new carpet, paint, and other construction materials that are likely present in your home.


Regional effects of vegetation restoration on water yield across the Loess Plateau, China Abstract
The general relationships between vegetation and water yield under different climatic regimes are well established at a small watershed scale in the past century. However, applications of these basic theories to evaluate the regional effects of land cover change on water resources remain challenging due to the complex interactions of vegetation and climatic variability and hydrologic processes at the large scale. The objective of this study was to explore ways to examine the spatial and temporal effects of a large ecological restoration project on water yield across the Loess Plateau region in northern China.We estimated annual water yield as the difference between precipitation input and modelled actual evapotranspiration (ET) output. We constructed a monthly ET model using published ET data derived from eddy flux measurements and watershed streamflow data. We validated the ET models at a watershed and regional levels. The model was then applied to examine regional water yield under land cover change and climatic variability during the implementation of the Grain-for-Green (GFG) project during 1999–2007. We found that water yield in 38% of the Loess Plateau area might have decreased (1–48mm per year) as a result of land cover change alone. However, combined with climatic variability, 37% of the study area might have seen a decrease in water yield with a range of 1–54mm per year, and 35% of the study area might have seen an increase with a range of 1–10mm per year. Across the study region, climate variability masked or strengthened the water yield response to vegetation restoration. The absolute annual water yield change due to vegetation restoration varied with precipitation regimes with the highest in wet years, but the relative water yield changes were most pronounced in dry years. We concluded that the effects of land cover change associated with ecological restoration varied greatly over time and space and were strongly influenced by climatic variability in the arid region. The current regional vegetation restoration projects have variable effects on local water resources across the region. Land management planning must consider the influences of spatial climate variability and long-term climate change on water yield to be more effective for achieving environmental sustainability.


With more individuals under stay-at-home orders, it appeared that national crime rates were going down. However, due to several economic factors, some areas of the United States saw an increase in theft crime.
The onset of the Coronavirus pandemic brought an increase of theft crimes, especially shoplifting and property theft. Various supermarkets across the United States witnessed shoplifting due to an increasingly high unemployment rate and economic uncertainty. This has been confirmed by interviews with security experts and police departments across the country. There has been a trend with shoplifting with more individuals gravitating towards food stables and supplies such as bread, pasta, laundry detergent, and baby formula.
Property theft has also increased, with individuals targeting now empty or abandoned commercial spaces and buildings. Today, we will review which theft crimes increased during the pandemic and the reasons why this occurred.
What Theft Crimes Have Gone Up?
The type of theft crimes that have increased during the pandemic include retail shoplifting, supermarket shoplifting, and property theft. According to the FBI, there has also been a 6% climb in vehicle thefts as well. This could be due to various reasons. As many individuals are not using their cars, they are checking on them less. There is also less foot traffic around cars parked on the streets, which makes cars an easy target for burglars.
With the pandemic keeping everyone inside, the nation saw a decrease in residential burglaries. However, with less people working in commercial spaces, opportunists took their chances to rob these buildings. Commercial burglaries increased by almost 30% this year up from last year.
Why Have These Crimes Increased?
In the wake of official responses to the pandemic, mass lockdowns, and mandatory stay-at-home orders, certain crimes rose due to economic instability.
With over 20 million Americans without work and on a form of unemployment assistance, money has been tight for many families during this time. Additionally, many individuals decided to resign from work due to fear of contracting the Coronavirus. Other reasons crime has increased include the fact that many Americans were struggling with debt, threats of eviction, hunger, and the fear of being late on rent.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has notes that 54 million Americans will struggle with hunger this year, which is a 45% increase from last year. While there are food aid programs and other options such as food banks, soup kitchens, and additional federal aid programs, many have been overwhelmed.
In retail shops, shoplifting has gone up as there is a common correlation between economic issues and theft. Historically, unemployment has been shown to be a contributing factor to an increase in theft as well. For many Americans, this was how they were able to feed themselves, for others, they took the chance to steal as many stores were understaffed and overwhelmed during the pandemic due to employee shortages and new, mandatory COVID-19 protocols that required more diligence.
Facing a Theft Charge? Contact Our Office Today
If you are facing a theft charge, you will require the counsel of an experienced criminal defense lawyer who will fight zealously on your behalf. Theft crime consequences can be harsh, so do not hesitate to contact our office for support. We are here to fight for you.
Contact us online or call us via (304) 867-0049 to set up an appointment.


Dream Schools Shouldn’t Be a Construct BY ANUSHA SENAPATI '24
You’re starting your first day of classes—the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the smell of grade inflation keeps you at ease. You step into the dining hall when you hear life-changing news: U.S. News has dropped your school’s ranking. Recently, college applicants have chased the idea of a dream school, and many pin their hopes on highly selective schools, creating high expectations. While dream schools can have any ranking, prestige, or acceptance rate, the most coveted are T20s, or top 20 schools, which refers to America’s highly ranked universities.
Although students may believe that a dream school will solve all their problems, this pursuit of prestige is making acceptance increasingly unattainable. In fact, attending a T20 dream school may hinder academic success due to its rejective and competitive nature.
T20s are often romanticized as academic paradises, offering prestige to all. This reputation, however, sparks students’ desire to get accepted to these schools. While these institutions may seem like a healthy goal, a specific school should not become a person’s sole motivator. The truth that lies behind many schools’ reputations is that students with access to better resources have a higher chance of acceptance. According to a Brookings Institute study, students with a household income greater than $200,000 scored, on average, around 300 points better than those with a household income less than $200,000 on the SAT, a standardized college preparatory test. Thus, the wealthy have an advantage when applying to T20 schools. Top American universities are coveted for their academic rigor, but elitism led to many high-achieving students’ acceptance in the first place. This manufactures a fake image of equal access to higher education, when one should consider many other factors before succumbing to the T20 appeal.
For example, T20 schools often perpetuate a dream school mindset, which can create disillusionment about what success is. Remarkable alumni legacies are often associated with the school itself, rather than the individual, convincing prospective students that a successful life can be attributed to the school one attends. However, people can also lose sight of opportunities that may provide the same education at a better long-term value. Though T20s may offer an abundance of resources, they also come with significant costs, such as mental health issues that stem from living in a highly competitive environment. As hypercompetitive students apply to these highly ranked schools and are selected, the school culture becomes deeply rooted in competition as opposed to collaboration. Former Yale professor William Deresiewicz explained that elite colleges may even limit academic choices, commenting that “when it comes to choosing a career, there are certain chutes that kids, especially at elite colleges, tend to get funneled towards.” These are vital factors to consider when thinking about a dream school, as one student’s dream school may not be quite the fit for another.
Speaking of picking a school that is the right fit, dream schools bring up another issue—name value. Students will often chase schools for their name, instead of what the school can offer to the individual. Those who choose rankings over personal interest, however, will only be disappointed with news such as the Columbia rankings being unveiled, with the university’s ranking dropping from number 2 to number 18. This drop in rankings shocked many, but it hurt the university’s reputation. Students who attended Columbia solely for its #2 ranking are surely disappointed, and this instance shows how prestige should not be a factor when making a decision about a highly ranked school.
While societal norms may compel one to attend a renowned T20 institution, it is vital to consider what a dream school really means. A dream school is not a ticket to success, and it often comes with many unforeseen setbacks. While dream schools may seem like the key to academic success, consider whether the prestige outweighs your own opinion before misplacing your hopes—and your savings.


#7 – Environmental Factors
Leaving aside occupational hazards which men are exposed to, life expectancy is 70% influenced by environmental factors, namely our behavior and the atmosphere we live in. The rest is owed to genetics. Women, who usually engage in much simpler jobs, or are largely housewives in certain countries, are not exposed to as many dangers or to excessive stress.


Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-producing gastric cancer (AFPGC) is a rare, aggressive tumor. In the absence of metastasis in diagnosis, close observation and long-term follow-up is needed to monitor and slow its progress. We report a young patient who presented with nonbiliary pancreatitis. Upon finding Virchow's nodule, we conducted tests and observed multiple lymph nodes and liver and pancreatic metastasis. We subsequently made a diagnosis of AFPGC. This study describes the different presentations of this rare but aggressive subtype of gastric cancer with a review of the literature. (C) 2021 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel


Like other industries growing day by day, the makeup industry is also growing every day. You can observe a straightforward hike in the use of makeup products in the last decade or two. It has become much more than just a skin tone enhancer. Ladies use it to the best of their needs. It includes shaping their jawline, sharpening their nose and enhancing their eye shape. Yes, all this is possible with just makeup.
So why not modify the packaging of such a significant product? For that, there are custom
makeup boxes available in the market. They are the makeup of a makeup product.
The modern era has its own set of requirements. With the rise of the entertainment industry, the demand for makeup has reached new heights. There is also a lot of progress in this field. Everyone aspires to be the most attractive person in the room. Nowadays, their outward appearance is the most important aspect to them. With this mindset, custom makeup packaging boxes are in high demand following a makeup industry revolution.
The Struggle of Makeup Brands
Makeup companies, like their customers, want to be the best in the business. They choose custom printed makeup boxes for this purpose. These boxes can be used for a variety of purposes. For example, they hold the makeup items better and more conveniently. People think they’re a perfect match for their makeup. This increases their demand and applications.
With such high demand, custom boxes for makeup require qualified individuals to enter the packaging industry. Its purpose is to ensure the packaging boxes’ quality. Customers and brands dislike packaging boxes that are of poor quality. As a result, the effectiveness of these boxes is diminished. Good brands have abandoned ordinary boxes due to almost no benefits. To ensure the safety of their products, they use simple packaging boxes.
Everyone Needs Makeup
Makeup has become an absolute necessity in today’s world. All women prefer to wear makeup when they go out. They don’t feel confident without makeup, whether for a party or a formal event. Even in their daily routine, they wear decent lipstick or beauty cream. With the growing popularity of lipstick, custom
lipstick boxes are now available on the market. These custom boxes make it easy for any lipstick brand to deliver their regular product.
Lipsticks are known to be highly fragile. For example, extreme temperatures may cause them to lose their original shape and effectiveness. They can quickly melt. Furthermore, their outer packaging is highly fragile. As a result, proper packaging boxes for lipstick products should be used.
Brand Awareness
There are numerous brands available on the market. As a result, your brand must be unique to establish a distinct reputation in the market. Custom packaging boxes are ideal for this. With these boxes, you can set your brand apart from the competition. Your brand would be noticeable. Furthermore, your competitors will require something extra to compete with your brand.
So don’t worry about spending a few extra dollars on custom boxes for packaging makeup products. Instead, consider the advantages and outcomes of these custom boxes.
Secure Your Packaging
No business owner wants to deliver their products in bad shape. This generates no revenue for their company. Instead, their company is being slandered. Good makeup companies have stepped outside of this zone due to their brand’s defamation. They experiment with various strategies for this purpose. On the other hand, wholesale custom makeup boxes perfectly fit their company.
Securing your product is the most important of all. Otherwise, you might be missing the most required necessity of your business.
You can entirely rely on custom packaging boxes as a good businessman in the makeup industry. They can ensure that your product reaches its destination safely and securely. After you get off this hectic trail, you can focus on other aspects of your business.
Conclusion
Good brands are always eager to achieve
commercial success. Obtaining a stand-out distinction is nothing short of a success. However, with the customization options available for your packaging, this success is no longer a struggle. You can use these boxes to your advantage. Furthermore, you are free to use these boxes as a marketing tool. Without a doubt, many inexperienced businesspeople underestimate the importance of these boxes. As a result, these brands never receive the same level of public attention as other major brands.
You should now be persuaded to use wholesale custom makeup boxes for your makeup products. If you aren’t, you may be hiding a secret marketing strategy from the rest of the world. So now it’s time to reveal that plan. Otherwise, stop wandering and use these custom packaging boxes to increase your revenue and business.


What is car insurance?
Car insurance protects you and your four-wheeler against loss or damage due to theft, fire, accidents; It also provides financial insurance against third parties or their assets. A comprehensive car insurance policy helps you if your car is damaged due to an accident or natural calamity. Car insurance policies are divided into three sub-categories; Comprehensive car insurance policy, stand alone or own damage and third party car insurance.
According to the Motor Vehicles Act 1988, it is mandatory for all car owners to have at least a third party insurance policy, which provides coverage for third party liability. You can buy car insurance policy through Bajaj Finance Limited which offers a 100% digital process. Also, you can avail a no claim bonus of 50% on your premium on renewal. You can apply online for car insurance renewal on the insurer’s website.
Benefits of car insurance
Network Garages across India With many network garages across India, you can avail cashless services across India. This means that your insurance provider will settle all the bills for the garage.
Additional Savings with No-Claim Bonus For every claim-free year, insurance providers credit you with a No-Claim Bonus. It reduces the renewal amount of car insurance policy. Additionally, you can transfer the no-claims bonus to a new insurer if you change your four-wheeler insurance policy.
Comprehensive and third-party liabilities A comprehensive insurance policy covers own damage and third-party liabilities and gives the owner-driver personal accident cover. A third-party car insurance policy gives financial coverage only for third-party liability. For illustration, it’ll only cover the damages or losses caused to the third party, physically or to their property
Voluntary Deductible Reduces Your Premium Burden Voluntary Deductible is the amount you pay in advance for any repairs and replacement work on your car. 4 wheeler insurance providers deduct this amount along with other deductions during core settlement to determine the final settlement amount.
24X7 Roadside Assistance 24X7 Roadside Assistance helps you to handle any unexpected incident, which you can get the service with just one phone call. Also, the towing service will help you reach the nearest service center in case of breakdown.
Break-in insurance facility for easy renewal Break-in insurance is available when an insurance policy expires due to non-renewal. However, NCB remains intact if a policy is renewed within 90 days of expiry.


Student Employment
The PA Program is a very intense 24-month curriculum that demands a great amount of time.
It is important that students remain well balanced by allowing sufficient time for social activities, recreation, and rest. Additionally, the PA Program does not follow the University schedule and would make it difficult to maintain any type of employment. Students may also be assigned to sites that are distant and/or have irregular schedules including evenings, nights, and weekends. Due to the intensity and structure of the curriculum, students are
not allowed to work during the entire 24-month program. That said, certain employment expressly required by a training site as a condition of clinical training shall be exempt from this policy. In this case, students must submit a completed disclaimer form. Students are encouraged to take advantage of financial aid opportunities or other funding options.
Students must not substitute or function as instructional faculty, but certainly are encouraged to share prior knowledge, experience, and skills from previous clinical work to assist other students in didactic or lab sessions. Students are not permitted to serve as the primary instructor or instructor of record for any curricular components. Additionally, students cannot be asked or allowed to complete administrative or clerical work for the Program and students may not ever be substituted for paid employees in the academic or clinical setting. Students may not function as clinical or administrative staff during the clinical practice experiences.


The Montecito Water District is set to be drought-proof by the summer, the district announced Monday.
The progress is due to desalination and new rates, which the district’s board of directors received a status report on as well as a water supply agreement with the city of Santa Barbara during its regular monthly meeting Tuesday.
“These projects remain on schedule to be completed and ready for Board consideration in June,” said General Manager Nick Turner.
Proposed rates will be mailed to customers for review in mid-May, and include “desalination,” which refers to the cost of the pending 50-year WSA with the city of Santa Barbara, according to the district’s news release.
The board also received a presentation on future demand and water supply options prepared by Dr. Steve Bachman, who is on contract with the district to prepare an update to the water supply report he completed in 2007. Many of his recommendations have been implemented, however the recent historic drought revealed the district’s current water supplies remain unreliable.
With the rainfall the area received in early April, Jameson Lake reached 100% capacity, the district reported. While Jameson Lake is full, the district is resting its wells to support groundwater recharge, and moving forward with plans to diversify its water portfolio and ensure the community’s future water needs will be met.
However, with the coronavirus pandemic, all major capital improvements are temporarily on hold, including “Smart Meter” installation. Customers will be notified as soon as these projects resume, according to the news-release.
“Our constituents fully expect us to continue working on these critical initiatives. We were elected to do a job, and we must fulfill our obligations,” stated Director Cori Hayman at a meeting earlier this month. “If anything, current conditions show us that we must continue to move swiftly and put resilient plans in place for the District’s future water needs. This community knows that things can change overnight, and we must be prepared.”


Issues & Insights Vol. 22, SR1, pp. 1-8 Abstract
This study examines the integration of cybersecurity within the U.S.-Philippine alliance. Technological change poses distinct challenges to international alliances by presenting new security threats and vulnerabilities that alliances must adapt to address. Using a process-tracing approach, this article investigates the evolution of cybersecurity within the U.S.- Philippine alliance and whether existing defense arrangements have been effectively leveraged to meet the challenges of a cyber insecure world. It finds that despite initial momentum toward integrating cybersecurity within the alliance, cyber cooperation has largely stalled since 2016. Although the elections of Rodrigo Duterte and Donald Trump contributed to this malaise, the stagnation also reflects a larger strategic divergence in how Washington and Manila approach the digital domain. This contrasts sharply with other alliances like NATO and must be addressed to sustain alliance activities in cyberspace.
Click here to download the full volume. About this Volume
Authors of this volume participated in the inaugural U.S.- Philippines Next-Generation Leaders Initiative, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, through the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines. With backgrounds from academia, public policy, civil society and industry, the cohort brings rich insights on the past, present, and future of the U.S.-Philippines bilateral security relations.
The statements made and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of their respective organizations and affiliations. Pacific Forum’s publications do not necessarily reflect the positions of its staff, donors and sponsors.
Gregory Winger is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and Fellow with the Center for Cyber Strategy and Policy at the University of Cincinnati. He is also a former Fulbright Scholar to the Philippines and Fellow with the National Asia Research Program. Photo: Philippine Army-United States Army Pacific during the Cyber Security Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE) in Manila, May 14 to 18, 2018. Source: Philippine Army/Public domain


The ubiquity of IoT (the Internet of Things), smart sensors, and mobile phones coupled with the ‘velocity and verbosity’ of the collected data mean that the volume of data being generated and subsequently collected will be more significant than ever before years to come. The amount of data generated by connected devices will increase as the number of connected devices increases.
This data has huge economic value, estimated at €15 billion in the UK alone in 2025. Its total impact and potential could be around three times larger when including indirect and wider benefits.
The benefits arising from the use and re-use of open data include facilitating efficiencies by allowing people to make more informed decisions, better competition, innovation, resilience, and better networks, which can generate jobs, support exports, and reduce harmful emissions. These benefits are likely to be significant, reaching across the economy and affecting consumers and organizations alike.
However, open data sharing will face many potential barriers relating to privacy, security, etc.
Privacy and legal barriers
Privacy and legal barriers around the sharing, storage, and use of personal data have been cited as a key reason why organizations are unable or reluctant to share the data they hold with others. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which regulates the handling (or processing) of any form of personal data and strengthens requirements around consent, appears to have a material impact on data sharing in so many sectors, where personal data is increasingly collected from smartphones and IoT devices.
The rules aren’t intended to limit data use for good reasons. Yet, there are genuine risks when consumers opt to share personal data collected via IoT devices, payments and consumption data, and geospatial tracking. Consumers have a general aversion to any non-essential data sharing with businesses, owing to a lack of trust and understanding of data uses and potential benefits. Legal issues appear to be more likely to arise in data sharing nowadays.
Security barriers
Security barriers refer to concerns about data sharing leading to security breaches, data losses, and, in extreme cases, high-impact cyber-attacks. As data sharing grows and new technologies drive more interconnected ecosystems, the range of potential threats, vulnerabilities, and system resilience issues is reported to be expanding.
Organizations’ security fears are heightened further by large potential fines under GDPR and Network and Information Systems (NIS) Directive rules. However, the reputational and commercial repercussions of a breach could be greater. These fears are thought to be discouraging greater data sharing, especially in instances where the benefits case is uncertain or not fully understood.
As a result, any measures to encourage data sharing should ensure that organizations have the tools and incentives to pursue adequate security solutions to reduce these risks. It involves setting clear standards around minimum requirements (for example, regarding firewalls, intrusion detection systems, encryption, and access authorization) and promoting a collaborative and coordinated approach across organizations and sectors instead of fragmented or ad hoc approaches that increase the risk of potential security lapses.
Commercial barriers
Commercial barriers refer to data not being shared because the costs of sharing are greater than the expected benefits. A possible indirect cost of sharing data, in addition to direct costs, could be a perceived loss of competitive advantage. On the other hand, sharing data may incur financial costs if IT systems and data management practices are not properly configured. Where data sharing and collaborative approaches are not the norms, commercial barriers are higher. There could be a ‘free rider’ problem if data shared by one company is used by others who do not reciprocate by sharing their own information.
Cultural barriers
Cultural barriers refer to policies, habits, and attitudes within organizations that oppose data sharing. These exist in both the private and public sectors and can reflect a lack of understanding and focus on the potential data benefits and new technologies, as well as trust issues and a belief that data should only be shared with those who “need to know.”
Several large infrastructure players appear to have ingrained this organizational culture, making them slow to adapt to new trends. Cultural barriers are likely to exacerbate other barriers where they exist. Organizations may fail to see the commercial benefits of data sharing and may be overly concerned about privacy and security concerns.
Technical barriers
Technical barriers refer to technical challenges in sharing data, such as data not being in the right format due to a lack of common standards, data being stored only in legacy systems that are not designed for sharing, or data not being digitized at all. Non-standardized datasets with data quality issues restrict interoperability.
For instance, in the energy sector, there do not yet seem to be agreed standards for smart meter data provided to customers in machine-readable format upon request (as per GDPR rules). Customers may choose to share this information with other suppliers or third parties, but a lack of standardization may make this impossible. These issues are currently well-recognized, and there are several initiatives to provide common data standards. In many cases, efforts to establish common data standards are still ongoing.
To sum up, we need to achieve a balance between tacking cultural, commercial, and technical barriers to realize the benefits of data sharing. Balanced measures can yield significant efficiency savings, enhanced competition, innovations in products and services, and greater system-wide resilience and capacity.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 11, 2012 Mallory Quigley, (202) 223-8073Contact: Dannenfelser Calls on House to Stop Pro-Abortion Health Care Law WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser sent a letter to all Members of the U.S. House of Representatives urging them to vote in favor of H.R. 6079 the “Repeal of Obamacare Act.” Dannenfelser emphasized the abortion funding provisions in the law and called on Congress to protect Americans from underwriting the abortion industry.
Key excerpts from the letter:
“The Affordable Care Act (ACA) creates heavy federal subsidies for the purchase of insurance plans that cover elective abortion. The repeal law specifically states in its findings section that the ACA ‘appropriates billions of dollars in new funding without explicitly prohibiting the use of these funds for abortion, and it provides Federal subsidies for health plans covering elective abortions.’ These provisions violate the consistent standards previously set in federal law and establish an ominous precedent for future expansion of federal abortion subsidies.
“Under the ACA, millions of Americans will be unknowingly enrolled in health care plans that include elective abortion coverage. These plans will charge enrollees, regardless of age and gender, a minimum of $1 per month – an ‘abortion surcharge’ – that will go into an abortion slush fund. Under a rule recently issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the existence of the ‘abortion surcharge’ only needs to be disclosed once – in the fine print – during the enrollment process. This surcharge is included without itemization in the monthly premium, and is never disclosed again.
“The ‘preventive care’ mandate in the ACA is already being used to force employers to pay for insurance plans for their employees that include coverage for abortion-inducing drugs and sterilization, regardless of religious or moral objections. This includes Catholic hospitals, charities, and schools, which may be forced to shut down their irreplaceable charitable services due to the heavy fines imposed on those who refuse to compromise their conscience. The same mandate intrudes upon the deeply held conscience rights of secular employers as well, including, ironically, pro-life nonprofit groups and businesses.”
The Susan B. Anthony List, and its connected Political Action Committee, the SBA List Candidate Fund, are dedicated to electing candidates and pursuing policies that will reduce and ultimately end abortion. To that end, the SBA List will emphasize the election, education, promotion, and mobilization of pro-life women. ###


How can we use neuromarketing to improve top-managers public speaking?
Delivering a
world-class and impactful speech, either live or online, requires the ability to engage the targeted audience.
But how can you be sure if people are actually
paying attention and understand your message? And how do you know if the audience is really engaged during your speech?
Our client is a bank that operates internationally in the financial sector, and its
top-level managers are often required to speak in front of different target audiences. For these professionals, being able to deliver a convincing and effective speech, talk, or presentation, is crucial for strengthening their position and for promoting and growing their business.
Sapience used innovative
webcam-based sensors to capture the reaction of the audience in real-time, while top-managers delivered a speech.
Tracking the audience'
eye-movements and analyzing their face expressions revealed whether people were paying attention to the speech, if they were emotionally engaged (e.g. whether they were interested, happy, frustrated, or bored), as well as their level of understanding of the speech.
This neuroscientific analysis of the audience unveiled the strengths and weaknesses of the speech, and provided us key
neuro scientific insights to upgrade the public-speaking of the top-managers and pushing their communication skills to the next level.


Lisa Avron Grant TypeDissertation Fieldwork Grant Institutional AffiliationCornell U. Grant numberGr. 9516 Approve DateOctober 11, 2017 Project TitleAvron, Lisa A., Cornell U., Ithaca, NY - To aid research on 'Predicting Florida's Environmental Futures: Risk, Boundaries, and the Ethics of Multiplicity,' supervised by Dr. Sara Pritchard
This research considers two toxic risks to Floridian human, animal, and wetland eco-systems: the first, a proposed increase in allowances for industrial pollution in surface water based on digital risk simulation and, the second, salt-water toxifying all available water resources by 2050 according to climate change predictors. Given the sheer ‘multiplicity’ and interconnection of Florida’s webs of life, the crux of predictions rests in how different actors bound variables that enter simulations of Floridian environmental futures. Further, how different actors bound variables depends on how they know and live with local environments — where vulnerable bodies end and toxic rivers begin or measuring flooding in terms of individual days rather than a series of interconnected events, as examples. Crucially, these boundaries and their resulting knowledge claims often betray, not ‘objective’ perspectives, but a variety of ethical frameworks that matter critically for definitively marking who and what is vulnerable in Florida today and in the future. To wit, people in varying positions of power–city counselors, ecologists, Miami’s Little Haiti community, Sierra Club members–build, often competing, understandings of Florida’s environmental futures, not for differential access to objective knowledge, but for the different ways they bound variables that enter predictions in the first place, bounding being a clear manifestation of differing environmental histories that inform differing ethical decision making. This research builds on the Wenner-Gren Foundation’s legacy, contributing to critical, relevant themes resonating in broader anthropological theory today: toxicity and risk, entanglements and multiplicity, and critical theories of knowledge production.